There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' favorites to claim the Premier League this season.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City at home - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance at this juncture of the season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.
The expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and determination.
